ABC Cancels Both ‘Last Resort’ and ‘666 Park Avenue,’ Ouch

Sheesh, talk about your Defcon 1. A submarine-sized hole just erupted in ABC's fall drama lineup, as the network has opted not to move forward with either buzzworthy fall drama 'Last Resort' or '666 Park Avenue,' effectively cancelling both series after their 13-episode orders. 'Last Resort' in particular had attracted quite a bit of critical attention, in spite of its sinking ratings, while '666 Park Avenue' had difficulty finding its place on Sunday nights. What could have caused the cancellations, and will any good news come of them?

TV flags will be flown at half-mast, as ABC has just lost two of its own. In spite of either's buzz-worthy premise, ABC has effectively cancelled both naval thriller 'Last Resort' and the supernatural soap '666 Park Avenue,' Deadline reports. 'Last Resort' had widely been observed to be one of the better pilots in the season, but failed to sustain its momentum going forward, compounded by its difficulty competing with the CBS' Thursday night powerhouse lineup.

'666 Park Avenue' on the other hand debuted to mixed reviews, and failed to find a steady foothold on Sundays even with 'Revenge' as a lead-in. Both series will finish out their 13-episode runs, unlikely to receive any additional orders.

The news isn't all bad for 'Last Resort' show-runner Shawn Ryan however, as Deadline points out that the cancellation will free him up to concentrate on CBS' forthcoming 'Beverly Hills Cop' TV series. Elsewhere, ABC still has 'Nashville' and 'The Neighbors' to tout as its fall successes.

What say you? Were either 'Last Resort' or '666 Park Avenue' worth salvaging?